A Journey of Love
by JustBlossom
Summary: Written for Kataang Week 2012. The story of Katara and Aang's love, from fortunes and necklaces to tying the knot! Day 2 is up- better late than never, right?
1. Beginnings

**A/N: It's Kataang Week! This is my first time participating and I'm a little late… better late than never, right? Heh heh. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Feel free to drop a review. Hopefully I'll have Day 2 up soon.**

**I. Beginnings**

"You still have that thing? I thought you got rid of it weeks ago!"

Katara leaned down to pick up the object of Sokka's exclamation, which had fallen out of her pocket onto the grassy ground of their campsite. It was a necklace, the one Aang had made for her before they visited Aunt Wu's village.

She ran her thumb over the braided fishing line. "Why would I throw away a perfectly good necklace?" she said, trying to be casual, although her voice came out a little more angrily than she'd intended.

"No need to get defensive about it." Sokka raised him arms in mock surrender, but a mischievous gleam came into his eye. He looked away casually. "I wouldn't expect you to throw out a present from your _boyfriend."_

The smirk on his face made Katara glower.

"He's not my—"

"Sure, sure. Try to deny it. Why else would you keep that necklace?"

"Because…" Katara wracked her brain to find a good excuse. It was harder than she'd originally thought. The necklace had been a sweet gesture from Aang, to make up for the loss of her mother's necklace. Now that she had that necklace back, there was no reason for her to keep Aang's. The flower on it was wilted, and a few strands of fishing line were coming loose. But for some reason she felt an odd attachment to the object.

"Because," she came up with finally, "Throwing a gift away is rude."

Sokka just cackled. "And throwing away an engagement gift is ruder!"

"Well—" Katara began automatically. Then her eyes widened as she realized what her brother had just said. She opened her mouth to protest, but no coherent sound came out.

"A… _what?" _she finally managed.

"It's a Water Tribe Custom. Aang gave you a betrothal necklace!" he crowed.

"Well, Aang isn't from the Water Tribe. He wouldn't even know about the custom!" She tried to keep her voice calm, hoping her eyes didn't reveal the absurd thoughts running through her brain, all involving marriage and Aang.

"Well, maybe not," Sokka shrugged. "But you do. And you accepted the necklace. Even now, you won't give it up."

"It's just a necklace, Sokka! It doesn't mean anything!"

"Well, it means something to you, obviously."

"No, it doesn't!"

"Just admit it," Sokka grinned evilly. "You _like _him. You want to marry him," he said in a sing-song voice.

The very idea of it caused her head to feel light and her stomach to flutter in a delightfully uncomfortable way. She remembered the first time she'd even considered that sort of thing, at Aunt Wu's village. That had been the beginning of this of heart-fluttering, brain short-circuiting issue.

Instead of feeling horrified or disgusted at the idea of marrying Aang, she felt rather… excited. Nervous and embarrassed at the same time. And wary that she was feeling that way at all. The whole idea was rather frightening. Aang was her friend. _Just _her friend, she told herself resolutely.

She snapped out of her reverie in time to contradict Sokka before he became suspicious.

"I do not."

"Puh-lease. A big brother can tell these things."

Now she was getting irritated. "You don't even know what you're talking about."

"Yes I do. Katara and Aang, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S—"

Katara had the sudden realization that Aang might return from gathering leechi nuts any moment now. If he heard Sokka—she didn't even want to think about how mortified she'd be.

"Shut up!" she hissed.

"I knew it!" Sokka said triumphantly. "If you didn't like him, you wouldn't be mad. Won't he be surprised when I tell—"

Katara's eyes widened in horror. Even if she managed to shut Sokka up for now, he was sure to bring it up again when Aang was around. There was no escape.

She paused. Unless… unless she could convince Sokka that she didn't like Aang at all! (Not that she did anyway, she reminded herself half-heartedly.)

"You've got it all wrong," she said firmly. "I don't…" she cleared her throat, "I don't like Aang that way. At all." She tried to sound convincing.

"Yeah right. You still have the necklace." Sokka snorted.

Katara's blood boiled. Why did her stupid brother have to make things so difficult? She didn't even know how she felt, and now he was making fun of her and confusing her even more! She clutched the necklace tightly, hating what she was about to do but seeing no alternative to doing it.

"This necklace means nothing to me. I don't even know why I kept it!" she snapped, hiding the lie with her anger. Sokka still looked unconvinced.

"Then why—"

"I don't care about the stupid necklace! I don't care about Aang! Just GET OVER IT!" she yelled, flinging the necklace away with as much force as she could muster. She fully intended to find it again under cover of darkness, but a single sound changed her plans entirely.

"Ouch!" The boyish voice came from the bush the necklace had landed in, and it was filled with more hurt than the flimsy band could've caused upon impact.

Her angry expression vanished, replaced by a horrified look.

"Aang!"

He crawled out from under the bush, brushing a few leaves and leechi nuts off his clothes. The necklace had landed on his head, but he knocked it off.

"I'm so sorry, Aang!" Katara babbled. "I didn't mean it, I was just angry and I—"

"It's okay, Katara." His voice sounded hollow. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does!" she objected, reaching for his hand. He pulled away.

"You're right. It's just a stupid necklace. No big deal." He wouldn't meet her eyes.

"But I—"

"I'm going to collect water," he announced with false cheer to no one in particular. He grabbed his glider and took off before Sokka could complain that they already had more than enough.

Katara could feel tears prickling at the back of her eyes and an ache in her chest that worsened with every passing second.

"What's your problem?" she finally burst out, whirling around to glare at Sokka. Her idiot brother had ruined everything! Her hands shook and the water in her pouch quivered as she struggled to hold back tears.

"Hey, it's not my fault! You were the one who—"

She glimpsed the necklace, sprawled across the ground in abandonment, and her anger deflated like a balloon. "You're right." Her voice broke. "It is my fault." She had hurt Aang with her stupid lies, all because she was too embarrassed to admit that she sort of maybe had a _little_ crush on him.

She could feel the confused look Sokka was giving her as she crouched down to pick up the necklace.

_I'm going to set it right_, she thought determinedly, setting off into the forest without a backward glance.

"Yeah, don't bother explaining anything," Sokka called after her. "What do I know, anyway?"

Appa grunted as if to say, _Not much._

"Hey!"

o:O:o

She found him tossing pebbles into the stream. For every stone he flung, he muttered, "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

She winced.

"Aang?" she asked tentatively to his back. He stiffened.

"Katara! What are you doing here?" His voice wobbled, though she could tell he was trying to keep it steady.

"I need to tell you something," she said softly, almost smiling when she realized how similar her words sounded to the first thing he'd ever said to her.

He seemed to notice this too, and his shoulders slumped. "What is it?"

She took that as permission to come closer and settle down beside him.

"I don't know how much you heard, but—"

"The whole thing," he said quietly, looking out over the stream. "I heard it all."

"Oh," she paused. "Well, I just wanted to tell you that I… I didn't mean it. Any of it."

"You don't have to lie to make me feel better," he said, a touch of coldness entering his voice. "I understand. I should've expected it, anyway."

Now it was her turn to stiffen. "I'm not lying! How could you say that?" She grabbed his arms and forced him to look her in the eye. "I would never lie to you." His grey eyes were wide with fear, confusion, and hurt swirling around in them. At her words, there was a flicker of something else. Was it hope?

She was suddenly aware of how close their faces were. Hoping her cheeks didn't look as red as they felt, she looked down bashfully, but couldn't bring herself to move away.

"Then why—" he cleared his throat. "Why did you say it, if you didn't mean it?"

"Because… I was mad at Sokka, and I wanted him to stop teasing me."

"Oh?" he asked, sounding a little breathless.

She realized she was still holding onto his arms, and let go to draw the necklace out of her pocket.

"And… maybe I was a little embarrassed… that I like this necklace so much. I'm sorry I threw it away. I was going to get it again later anyway, but then…" she trailed off. "I'm going to keep it for the rest of my life, to remind me of you." Her last words were faint and nervous. Her mother's necklace hung around her neck already, so she tried to tie it on her wrist.

"You know, I never expected you to keep it," Aang said quietly.

"I know. But I want to." She fumbled with the string.

"Let me help," Aang offered, using both his hands to secure it around her wrist. The gentle touch of his fingers on her skin made her breath catch and her heart thump at a frantic pace. With the bracelet on, she grabbed his hands with her own. There was something else she needed to tell him.

Taking a shallow breath, she began, "You know, I was mad at Sokka when he said that I… liked you, because… well, maybe because it was kind of a little bit… true?" She was blushing furiously, and beginning to have second thoughts about her confession when she caught a glimpse of his eyes.

They were shining with his familiar happiness, and his hopeful look had returned. Without thinking, her gaze dropped down his face to look at his lips, and she found herself battling a newfound urge to kiss him—and not just on the cheek this time. She imagined actually doing it, leaning in and…

"I think you should know," he said suddenly, bringing her out of her daydream. "That I… sort of maybe like you too." Now he was blushing just as hard as she was. But his words made her feel light headed, her stomach flipping in a good way, and she couldn't stop a huge smile from spreading over her face.

She leaned in and placed her lips on his cheek, letting them linger there longer than she'd ever done before.

She knew Sokka would have a lot to say about the matter when they arrived back at camp wearing matching smiles and blushes. But suddenly she didn't care anymore. Let him tease them about betrothal necklaces and getting married! Maybe, someday, they actually would.

"Come on," she said at length, standing up. "Sokka will be worried." On a sudden impulse she offered him her hand. He took it, giving her his trademark adorable smile. She grinned back.

What they had was a beginning, but it was enough for now.

And she was looking forward to the future.


	2. Complications

**A/N: Hey it's me! Back from the dead… sorry for the long wait (please don't kill me!). I went on vacation, and then was distracted by the Olympics (GO CANADA!) and the HTTYD TV show preview… I apologize. But Day 2 is now here for your enjoyment, and it's extra-long to make up for the wait! :) Oh, and I should probably mention that this takes place after Crossroads of Destiny, RIGHT BEFORE The Awakening. Like RIGHT before.**

**II. Complications**

Katara hadn't slept for days. There were times when she would drift off into a half-awake, half-dreaming state, but at the slightest twitch from Aang she would jerk to full consciousness.

He'd been doing more of that lately—twitching, that is. Sokka was confident it was a good sign, but Katara wasn't so sure.

For one thing, the times when he twitched the most were during his nightmares, which seemed to be coming more and more frequently. And when he did twitch, it didn't seem like a sign of life so much as a convulsion of pain.

Today, so far, he had remained mostly still. He had stirred slightly while she tipped some broth down his throat, and when she'd changed his bandages, but otherwise he hadn't moved. His face remained calm and peaceful, no terrifying nightmare having come and twisted it into a grimace. Katara hoped it meant that he was getting better.

She kept silent vigil beside him, never once leaving the room on the Fire Navy ship he'd been carried to. Sokka and Toph brought food in for her—after one unpleasant visit, she'd made it clear her father was to stay away. Today's breakfast, a bowl of greyish gruel, sat uneaten beside her. Looking at Aang's thin and fragile body took away her appetite, not to mention that ship's fare wasn't very tasty to begin with.

A resounding knock on the metal door pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Come in," she called, trying to hide the tiredness in her voice.

Sokka pushed the door open and entered. "How's he doing?"

"Not much different than before."

"Oh." There was a pause, during which Katara noticed that her brother wasn't carrying the familiar lunch tray.

He seemed to sense what she was thinking. "If you want lunch, you'll have to come up top."

She turned away. "Forget it. I'm not hungry." And there was no way she was leaving Aang's side.

He glimpsed the untouched bowl of porridge. "But you didn't even eat breakfast! How can you go so long without _food?" _he demanded incredulously.

She didn't answer. "Look, Katara, it's not healthy for you to stay down here for so long. Aang will be fine on his own for five minutes. Come on!"

"If you just came in here to bother me you can leave." She glared at him.

"I came in here to check on Aang," Sokka said determinedly. "You're not the only one who cares about him, you know."

Katara lowered her head. Maybe she had been a little harsh towards the others lately, but she was so worried about Aang that being nice wasn't high on her priority list.

"You're not helping Aang by starving—" he was interrupted by a yawn from Katara "—and sleep-depriving yourself. He'd want you to take care of yourself."

She looked over at Aang's unconscious form. Maybe Sokka was right. She imagined him waking up right now and seeing what a mess she was. He'd probably start worrying about her, and then blame himself for her condition when he found out the reason for it.

"Five minutes," Sokka said. "That's it. Just grab a bite to eat and get some fresh air. Toph will watch him if it makes you feel any better."

She sighed. The offer was tempting, she had to admit, but… "Sokka, you don't understand. I can't leave him." Her voice broke. "He needs me," she whispered. "And I need him."

Sokka huffed in exasperation. "What you need is some food, fresh air, and sleep." He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. She barely had the strength to resist.

"Let go of me!"

"I'm just trying to do what's best for you!"

"Dad put you up to this, didn't he?" There was a bite to her words. Sokka winced, but met her glaring gaze with determination in his eyes.

"Look, even if he did, it doesn't matter. The point is—"

He was interrupted by footsteps pounding down the hallway. "Snoozles, Sugar Queen!" Toph's voice was urgent. The two siblings exchanged looks. Whatever Toph had come to tell them, it couldn't be good.

The earthbender shoved the door open. "We're being boarded by Fire Nation troops! They have orders to search below deck. We've got to hide Twinkletoes, _now_!"

Katara rushed to Aang's side. "Sokka, help me lift him!" He grabbed Aang's legs while she cradled his head and shoulders.

"Where do we go?" Katara asked desperately.

"Follow me," Toph barked, running into the hallway. Sokka and Katara eased Aang through the door.

"Hurry up, slow pokes!"

"No! We'll hurt him!" Katara protested.

"Not as much as those Fire Nation soldiers will if they catch us," Sokka said grimly. Katara sighed, whispered a "sorry" to comatose Aang, and started to run.

A few turns and hallways later, they stood before the waist-high door of a small storage closet.

"We came all this way to hide in a stupid _closet?"_

"Shut it, Snoozles." Toph tilted her head to the side, as if listening for something. Her unseeing eyes widened. "They've boarded."

"But they'll find us!" Sokka argued. "They'd be stupid _not _to check inside such an obvious hiding place. Not to mention how tiny that thing is."

"It's bigger on the inside," Toph said exasperatedly. She swung the door wide open and hunched over to step in. Sokka dropped Aang's legs, earning a glare from Katara, and ducked inside after her.

"Hey, you're right! I can stand!" His voice echoed from inside the room. "But they're still gonna find us!"

"Not if I can help it." Toph spit on each of her hands and wedged her fingers into the crack where wall met ceiling. She pulled outwards, and the layer of metal creaked as it was pulled off the wall. "I could sense that this room had an extra thick wall on the right side," she explained as she pulled. "I think it's next to the cold storage room."

"Okay?" Katara didn't really understand what Toph was up to, but she knew she had to trust her. All of their safety, especially Aang's, depended on it. She held him up by his armpits, his body slumped against her. He was completely powerless—and practically lifeless! If the Fire Navy soldiers found him…

"Move, Sokka," Toph ordered, hefting the metal sheet above her head and wedging it above the door, parallel to the ground. It reached to the back wall, creating a second ceiling.

"Toph! Why would you do that? Now I can't stand!" Toph ignored his complaints, jamming the edge farther into the wall above the door and smoothing over the rumpled metal.

"Katara, get Twinkletoes in here," Toph ordered. Katara crouched down and dragged Aang through the small doorway, wincing as his foot banged against the doorframe. The metalbender yanked the sheet down at the back wall, creating a small opening to the room she had created. Instantly Katara realized what she had in mind.

"Sokka, help me lift him," she commanded. It was rather crowded with Aang and her now inside, and Toph had to back out while Sokka squeezed though to boost Aang's limp body up onto the shelf. The unconscious boy's torso slumped forward, causing him to bang his head with a dull clang.

"Careful," Katara hissed angrily. Once Sokka had pushed Aang's legs onto the shelf, Katara clambered up, followed by Toph, who waved off Sokka's help. Katara gently pushed Aang into what she hoped was a more comfortable position and laid flat beside him, instinctively taking his hand.

"Shove over, Sugar Queen," Toph muttered, squeezing in beside her. Sokka poked his head up, dismayed by the lack of space.

"There's not enough room!"

Katara moved over as far as she could without ending up on top of Aang. She and Toph were squashed like sardines, but Sokka tried and failed to wedge himself between Toph and the wall.

"Guys, they're coming below deck!" Toph warned. "Hurry up!"

"It's hopeless," Sokka said.

"No! We just have to—"

"Forget it, Katara. I look more Fire Nation than any of you," he gestured to his uniform grandly. "I'll be fine. Whatever you do, don't let them find Aang." He ducked out of the closet, closing the door behind him. In the darkness, they heard his hurried footsteps echo down the hallway away from them. Both girls were silent as Toph squirmed around and pulled the metal sheet into place, attaching it into the back wall.

"He'll be fine," Katara finally said, as much for her reassurance as it was for Toph's.

"Well, duh, Sugar Queen," Toph said, but Katara thought she detected a trace of worry in her voice. Beside her, Aang shifted and let out a small moan. She squeezed his hand.

"Do you think—"

"Shh," Toph whispered urgently. "They're coming."

o:O:o

Aang watched himself die.

He was hovering at the roof of the crystal caverns, watching the scene unfold beneath him. The traitorous Dai Li agents scuttled from their rocky hiding places like little spiders, outnumbering the dream him and Katara.

Each nightmare was worse than the last. He had thought nothing could be more terrible than having tea with Firelord Ozai as the man congratulated him on his failure, watching while his friends were thrown in prison, their words echoing in his head. "How could you, Aang? We believed in you!" It felt as though a knife were being driven through his heart. Then Ozai stabbed him in the back with a tea spoon, and his body convulsed in pain once more, everything dissolving into blackness.

After that one, the nightmares hadn't bothered him for some time. He drifted in a strange dreamland where he walked among the stars, flickering faces of those he knew wavering in and out like the celestial lights.

Every once a while they'd say something, often just a faint whispering of his name, but the word was always so laced with disappointment that he couldn't bear to hear it, especially when it was spoken by Katara or Roku.

But at least the dreamland was better than the nightmares. And he knew, floating above the crystal caverns, that this nightmare would be his worst so far.

The dream-Aang rose slowly, eyes and arrows glowing, the power and knowledge of all the past Avatars surrounding him, filling him… blinding him.

_It's not enough! _Aang tried to scream. _Look out! _But no sound came out of his mouth, and he doubted the dream-Aang would have heard him anyway. He could only watch in horror as Azula narrowed her eyes and raised her hand, two fingers pointed, a poisonous smile on her lips.

The lightning was beautiful—and deadly. Pure white energy arced through the air like a crackling whip.

The moment it struck the dream him, Aang felt it tear through his own body once more. His vision blurred to a painfully bright white while his body convulsed in agony as what felt like a wickedly sharp blade tore into his back and twisted through his limbs. Every fiber in his being screamed with a searing, crackling pain that _burned _like nothing he'd ever felt before.

And suddenly he was falling. His vision cleared in time for him to realize that he was not in the crystal caverns anymore, but plunging through the invisible ground of his dreamland and falling through the stars and darkness with no way to stop. A feeling of panic rose up in his throat.

Suddenly a rocky ledge appeared at his right side. Propelling himself towards it, he grabbed on to the edge with both aching arms and breathed deeply. But his relief didn't last long as he noticed another shape plummeting towards him.

It was Katara. Her mouth was open in a silent scream as she reached towards him desperately. He swung out his one arm but she was too far away to grab it.

But he couldn't, _wouldn't_ let her die. Using one hand to hold on, he swung his feet over the ledge and gripped it with his toes. Then he let go with his hand and fell towards her, grabbing her hand and jerking her fall to a stop.

But she wasn't the only one plunging to their death. He twisted his head around and watched as Sokka and Toph dropped towards him.

Somehow he managed to swing Katara outwards so Sokka could grab hold of her leg, Toph gripping his arm. He strained holding all their weight while they looked up at him with terrified faces, silently begging him to save them.

"I'm sorry," he managed to speak. "I'm trying."

That was when he felt the footsteps on the rock ledge. He twisted his head to look into the scarred face of Zuko.

"Please," he begged. "Help us!"

But the Fire Prince's face hardened, and Aang closed his eyes as he waited helplessly for his feet to be kicked off the ledge.

Surprisingly, that didn't happen. Something worse did.

Zuko leaned over him, and with a single punch sent a blast of fire straight at his and Katara's connected hands. In shock and pain, they let go. He shouted in horror, and his friends plummeted into darkness.

"_NOOOOOOO!"_

o:O:o

"Can't you shut him up?"

"I'm trying, Toph. But he's having a nightmare!" Katara's eyes strained to make out the dim shape of Aang thrashing about in the dark. His hand had worked its way free of her grasp and flailed around, knocking on the metal loudly.

It was like having to watch him get struck by lightning all over again, and judging by the twisted expression on his face, that was exactly what he was experiencing.

She reached for his hand, but it jerked away from her hold.

"Do something! Calm him down!" Toph hissed. She put her hand against the wall. "The soldiers are only a few hallways away, and they'll _definitely _hear us if he keeps up that racket!"

Katara didn't bother answering, too concerned about Aang to be annoyed by Toph's general unhelpfulness. She wanted to hold him, to comfort him, but he was jerking around too much.

Suddenly, as if in answer to her silent wish, he fell completely limp. She tentatively reached for his left hand, but it stiffened, his fingers digging into the metal floor as if he were trying to hold on to something.

Beside her, Toph let out a breath. "Good job, Sugar Queen. Now just keep him quiet."

"I didn't even do anything," Katara said dubiously. "I'm not sure his nightmare is over yet…" She eyed his clenched hands nervously, but a second later they let go of the metal. She quickly grabbed his hand with her own, running her thumb over the back soothingly. He swung his arm forward, but she kept holding on.

"They're almost at our hallway," Toph murmured. She clenched her fists. Katara held her breath. And Aang chose the worst moment to say something in his sleep.

"'M sorry. I'm trying!" His head clanged against the floor. Toph stiffened.

"This metal isn't soundproof. Shut him up!"

"Please, help us!" The desperation in Aang's voice made Katara's chest tighten in concern. She gripped his hand tightly, but Toph suddenly pulled her away to face her. The moment her hand slipped from his he cried out.

"_Noooo!" _

Toph kept her from turning back towards him. "They're coming down the hall," she breathed. "They will find us, and they will kill Aang—unless we can shut him up."

"Sokka—Toph—Katara!" he moaned desperately behind her.

"So do your comforting thing, Sugar Queen. Hug him, whisper sweet nothings in his ear, whatever it takes!" Toph shoved her back towards Aang, and from the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway, Katara knew there was no time to waste. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight against her.

"It's okay, Aang," she whispered in his ear. "I'm here, Toph's here, we're alright. Shhh…"

But he couldn't seem to hear her. He struggled against her arms, as if trying to escape imprisonment. His legs thumped dully against the floor. She nearly panicked as the echoing footsteps drew nearer.

"He doesn't know it's me! I can't comfort him!" she said as quietly as she could to Toph, desperation leaking into her voice.

Toph's immediate answer nearly made her heart stop. "Kiss him."

"Ah—what?" she gasped.

"Twinkletoes will definitely know it's you. And it'll shut him up," Toph reasoned. "And don't worry, I won't tell Sokka." The tiniest of smirks made its way onto Toph's face, and Katara wondered how she could possibly smile at a time like this before being shoved practically on top of Aang.

The murmur of the soldiers' voices penetrated the walls as they stopped right in front of their hiding place. Toph motioned frantically at her. Katara looked down at Aang. His face was contorted into an expression of fear and pain. Any qualms she had about kissing her best friend (and in front on someone, albeit a blind someone) disappeared with the hope that she could erase that look from his face.

He opened his mouth to cry out again, but Katara pinned his arms to his side and, leaning down, silenced his shout with her lips.

For the brief moment their lips were in contact Katara almost forgot about the dangerous Fire Navy soldiers who had just reached the door, and the girl who was probably smirking beside her. Almost. For the whole first two seconds of the kiss, she caught herself wishing she could totally forget all the distractions and just focus on him. And for the shortest moment, she succeeded. Everything faded away and it was just her and Aang.

But then she pulled away, blushing furiously, and was suddenly completely aware of the confused but peaceful expression on Aang's unconscious face, and Toph's smug look, and the soldiers pulling open the door, and Sokka talking rather loudly, and—

Sokka talking? She listened again, but it was definitely him. She let out a quiet sigh of relief. He was safe!

"As you can see, we have nothing to hide," he was saying confidently. "Let me show you the cold storage room." She could hear his one set of footsteps start to walk away, but the others didn't follow.

"Wait a minute." The deep voice of one of the soldiers stopped Sokka in his tracks and made Katara and Toph freeze. The soldier ducked inside. "The ceiling looks a little dented here." He knocked on the metal right below Aang, who stirred slightly and started to frown. He opened his mouth and Toph gestured frantically.

Before he could make a single sound, Katara was kissing him again. She told herself that she was only doing it out of necessity, but the fluttering sensation in her stomach was enough to prove that it certainly wasn't an unpleasant task. Although it could have been more enjoyable if Aang wasn't in a coma, some small part of her brain whispered. Her cheeks reddened.

At the back of her mind, she was dimly aware of the conversation between Sokka and the soldier.

"Oh, um… that dent? Well, er, that would be my fault, Commander Guang. I hit my head pretty hard there a few days ago."

"Got a pretty hard head then?" The commander guffawed at his own joke, a few of his men joining in. Sokka laughed along awkwardly.

"I guess so."

"The metal on this wall looks pretty rough," Guang noted suddenly. A note of suspicion entered his voice. "What were you doing while you hit your head?"

"Doing? Oh, um, I was… repairing the wall," Sokka fumbled.

"Looks like you did more harm than good."

"Yeah, well, I'm no metalbend—er, worker. Metalworker," he repeated nervously.

"Uh-huh." The commander didn't sound too impressed with Sokka's story.

"We used to store weapons in here, actually," Sokka hurried to add. "When we went through some rough waters, they banged up the wall pretty bad. That's why I was in here, moving out the weapons and trying to fix the wall."

Sokka thought his lie was pretty impressive. Unfortunately, Commander Guang wasn't so easily fooled.

"You expect me to believe that load of garbage?" Without waiting for the terrified Sokka's reply, the man continued. "I knew what really happened the moment I walked in here."

Sokka cowered. "Please, sir—"

"I know your type. Young, reckless, arrogant. You thought you could get away with it, eh? Well I'll tell you right now, there's no fooling the great Commander Guang!"

Sokka whimpered. Above him, Toph clenched her fists and Aang jolted underneath Katara. She tightened her grip on him. No matter what happened, she would _never _let them get to Aang.

They braced themselves for the worst.

Then Commander Guang threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Thought you could use those weapons to spar against the _wall?_" he guffawed, clapping Sokka on the back.

"I—what?" Sokka asked confusedly.

"I recognize hammer and sword marks when I see 'em. I really should report you to the captain! Messing up the wall with your little weapon practice, and then having the gall to lie about it!" He wiped his eyes. "But I won't, 'cause you remind me of myself when I was a kid. I used to spar with trees, but I guess there aren't any of those on a ship. So you made do." He turned away, and dragged Sokka out the door. "Now where's that cold room? We've wasted enough time as it is."

The rest of the soldiers followed him down the hallway, murmuring amongst themselves.

Once they were far enough away, Toph sighed in relief. "That was close."

Katara broke apart from Aang, gasping for breath.

Toph smiled evilly. "I can't believe you were kissing him that entire time! Just wait 'til I tell Sokka."

Katara's jaw dropped. "Toph! You said you wouldn't."

"I just lied to save our butts. Just like Sokka." She smirked.

"Please, _please _don't tell him!" Katara begged. "I'll do anything!"

Toph's smile grew wider. "I have three conditions." She held up her fingers. "First, no more acting all lovey-dovey around Twinkletoes when I'm anywhere near."

"Hey, I do not—"

"Second, man up and tell him how you feel sometime."

Katara blushed. "Well, I—"

"Don't try to deny it," Toph said in a sing-song voice. "He's crazy about you anyway, so it shouldn't be too hard. And third, you have to come up top with me and Sokka. You're wasting away down there."

She tried to protest. "But Aang—"

"Will be fine," Toph said firmly. "I hate to act like the motherly one around here, but with you moping around, someone has to do it. Just come up, get some fresh air and food, and head back down again."

"But Toph—"

"_Or _I can tell Sokka about all the kissy-kissy action that went on up here."

"But that was your idea!"

"Well, you certainly weren't complaining."

Katara really couldn't find anything to say in reply to that.

o:O:o

"Pipsqueak and The Duke are on their way down to look after Aang," Toph informed her.

"Okay," Katara said. "I'll be up in a minute. You two can go ahead." They had just carried Aang back from their hiding place, meeting up with Sokka along the way. The other Fire Navy ship had sailed away, after Commander Guang had been satisfied that there were no stowaways or unauthorized goods on board. Sokka was relieved.

"If you're not there in two minutes, I'll send Sokka after you," Toph threatened. She pulled him out the door and closed it. Their voices receded as they started down the hallway.

"I still can't believe you talked her into coming." Katara heard Sokka's voice faintly.

"Information is power, Snoozles," Toph said smugly.

Katara frowned. She didn't want to leave Aang's side, but by now Toph's threats had extended to shouting her secret out to everyone on board if she didn't come. Even so, she wouldn't have even considered leaving if Aang hadn't been doing better. For once, his face was peaceful, and she knew the nightmares wouldn't be bothering him for some time. She left a note for Pipsqueak and The Duke, hoping that at least one of them could read, and straightened Aang's pillow.

_It's just five minutes, _she told herself. _He'll survive. _

She opened the door… and closed it again, rushing back to Aang's bedside.

"I'll be back soon," she whispered, even though she knew he couldn't hear. Then, because she felt a little guilty that she'd only kissed him out of necessity before, or maybe because she wanted to kiss him when they _weren't _in a dangerous situation, or maybe even because she just wanted to, she pressed her lips to his for the third time that day.

This time, there were no enemy soldiers in the background. It really was just her and Aang, and it was amazing. There was a pleasant fluttering sensation in her stomach and a dizzy lightness that filled her head. The only way it could have improved was if he had kissed her back.

"Please wake up," she whispered, running her hand through his newly acquired dark hair and planting a final kiss on his forehead. "I'll see you soon."

In the end, it was sooner than she'd expected.

THE END

**A/N: I really hope people get the last sentence. Anywho, a review from you would be much appreciated. One thing I'd like to know: Which did you prefer, Day 1 or Day 2? And why? I'd love to hear feedback of any kind (besides flames, please). :) **


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